Baffle structure for refrigerators



c. R. QUINN BAmE smut'nuks; FOR REFRIGERATORS July 29, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 fl I V Filed March 11, 1950 IN V EN TOR. CHARL as R. gum/7 July 29, 1952 Filed March 11, 1950 can. QUINN 2,604,762 BAFF'LE muma FOR REFRIGERATORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. CHflRLfJ R. QU/l7/7 away 902:5?

July 29, 1952 Q QUINN 2,604,762

BAFFLE STRUCTURE FOR REFRIGERATORS Filed March 11, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I N V EN TOR. CHHRL c5 1?. gum/7 MWM'? I Patented July 29, 1952 1 'BAFFLE STRUCTURE FOR-REFRIGERATORS Charles It. Quinn, Oreland; Pa., assignor to Philco 1 Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of: Pennsylvania Application March-11, 1950, Serial No. 149,09

6 Claims.

7 1 --'Ihe- "invention hereinafter disclosed and claimed relates to refrigerator construction; and, more particularly, isconcerned with refrigerators of the type which have a tray-like partition or baflie structure adapted to control the degree o'f'heat'exchange between certain compartments provided within the refrigerator.

'In' considering the invention it is to 'be borne in mind that it has proven desirable to provide within a refrigerated cabinet'not only a compart'ment maintained at temperatures suitable forthe' preservation of frozen foods, but also a compartment maintained at a temperature above the freezing point of water, in order to provide for the proper preservation of fresh fruits, vegetablesand other foodstuffs which should: not be subjected to sub-freezing temperatures. Such compartments, or zones, may conveniently be provided'by dividing the spacedefined by the inner liner of th'e'cabinetinto and upper and lower'food storage compartments, by means ofa generally horizontal partition or baflie which liinits, but does not eliminate,the circulation of air between said upper and lower compartments.

'In this way it is possible to maintain one com- 'partment' at a relatively low, sub-freezing tem perature, and yet control the degree of heat; ex-

change between the two compartmentsinsuch manner as to provide, in the other compartment, temperatures above the freezing point of water. One of the two compartments is-usually refrigerated'through the agency of an evaporator, the walls' of which may define that compartment,

and which evaporator is maintained at a temperature well below 32 F:, while the other compartment is maintained at a temperature slightly above 32 R, being cooled primarily by means of; heat exchange effected through the said partition o'r baflle.

' The partition member is commonly shaped in such manner that it'serves also as a tray-or shelf adapted for the storage of foodstuffs, and may'be'used to accumulate water resulting from defrosting of the; evaporator of the colder comp'artment. While constructions of the'type thus far described arewell known, they have been found,

practice, tobe subject to certain difficulties,

particularly in that the presence of the traylike partition, which generally is disposedin close subjacency-to the evaporator, makes it 1 difiicult to provide within the refrigerator a zone or space maintained under conditions suitable for storage of certain foods, and particularly meats; Meats which are to be used after a relatively short storage period should be maintained at atemperature intermediate the temperatures 'of'the two described compartments, and preferably they should be stored in a covered receptacle which prevents" or limits access: of air to op rati himpedance of the interposed partition.- Also, as

will be readily understood, meats placed, in the tray must be removed prior to a, defrosting operation. i

Accordingly, and with the foregoingin-,-1ni nd, it, is' the primary object of the present invention to provide in arefrigerator of the type set forth, a partition or baflie structure which;; whilaserving as a tray-for the storage: of: certain classes of foodstuffs and-effective as; a receptacle toqollect; the defrost water, is of such a nature' as; to include a section adapted; for the proper pres.- ervatiojn of meats under all conditions ofoperation, in ludi im s when h re r rator, i being-defrosted. With more particularity, it-is an object of-the' invention to provide-a refrigerar tor of the stated type, including a-singlestructure or --device capable oi functioning withinsaid refrigerator as a bafile controlling-the degree of heat exchange between thetwo main compartments, as a covered meat receptaclefrom which articles need not tie-removed: during defrosting of-the refrigerator,;andas anopenetopped tray providing'add-itional storage space and serving; to collect the water which results from the defrost- In another aspect of the inVentionQit is an object to pro de a un ta -t a ike d ieeu ful in refrigerators, for-the abo,ve-st ated-pur vases. I

It is a feature, of the invention that the stated advantages are accomplished by the provision of a tray-likepartition structure or device which is inherently inexpensive to manufacture and is of unusually good appearance.

f To the foregoing generalends, theinvention contemplatesprovision of a refrigerator of-the typeincluding an evaporator which is' preferably of a width and depth-substantially equal to the width and depth of the refrigerator 'cabinet,-and a tray-like structure-disposed beneath said evaporator in spaced relation theretohand also havinga width and depth substantially equal to the width and depthof -s aid compartment,

whereby to serve as a baflie-controlling the heat exchange between the said evaporator and the refrigerated space below the structure; the invention being particularly characterized in that said structure comprises: portions. defining a bottom wall and upstanding side wallslfl'extending peripherally about the structure to define a relatively shallow tray adapted for the storage of foodstuffs and to serve as a receptacle for the collection of defrost water, one section of the structure having cover means cooperating with a portion of the bottom wall and with portions of said peripheral walls to define an enclosed meat receptacle disposed adjacent to an opentopped section of said tray-likemember, and said cover means being so contoured as to conduct water collected upon the upper surfaces thereof to the said open-topped section.

The foregoing objects and advantages of the invention, together with certain subordinate features and details of construction thereof, are

hereinafter fully described and illustrated in the I accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the upper portion of a refrigerator embodying the present invention, the main door of the refrigerator being omitted, in the interest of clarity in' illustration;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure l, and with the tray-like structure so disposed and adjusted as to provide access to the meat storage section thereof Figure 3 is a plan view of the partition structure of the present invention;

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are sectional illustrations taken as indicated by the corresponding sectional designations applied to Figure 3; and

Figure? is a fragmentary view, in perspective, illustrative of a feature of construction.

Now making more particular reference to the drawings, and especially to Figures 1 and 2 thereof, it 'will be seen that the invention is therein illustrated as embodied in a domestic refrigerator comprising an outer shell I!) and an inner shell or liner member II, spaced inwardly of and insulatedifrom the outer shell II! by means of any suitable insulation, shown at I2. As is customary, a breaker strip I3 of low thermal conductivity extends about the forward face of the cabinet and bridges the gap between the said outer shell I and the inner liner I. It will be understood that the refrigerator also includes a compartment housing a compressor-condenser unit of any desired type, but illustration of this por- "tion ofthe apparatus is not necessary herein since the present invention is not concerned therewith.

As clearly appears in both of Figures 1 and 2, the space within the inner liner is sub-divided into an upper relatively low temperature storage compartment I4 and a lower, above-freezing compartment I5, by means of the tray-like partition structure of the present invention, which latter is designated generally, by reference character l6. As will be recognized, the front access opening of the refrigerator is normally provided with a door (not shown) adapted to seal the space defined by the inner liner by seating against the cabinet in the plane of the aforesaid breaker strip I3. The upper zone or compartment I4 is utilized as the colder temperature compartment adapted for the storage of frozen foods, as indicated hereinabove, and to this end the compartment is provided with an evaporator I! which may be of U-shaped configuration, and

preferably is of a width and depth substantially equal to the width and depth of the compartment I4 defined by the upper wall portions of the inner liner II.. The evaporator I! would, of

course, be coupled to the condensing unit mentioned above, through suitable suction and feed lines, which it is not necessary to illustrate herein.

The underlying, warmer compartment I5 is preferably cooled solely through heat exchange effected through the partition structure I6 and, to insure the proper degree of heat exchange, the material of the partition and the construction thereof are such as to present the desired degree of thermal impedance. In this connection, it has been found that it is desirable to construct the partition of certain plastic materials, preferably clear or transparent material, and polystyrene has been found not only to yield good results thermally, but also to lend itself to inexpensive manufacture and pleasing appearance. Further, as will more clearly appear hereinafter, the floor of the partition is of double wall construction.

While the utility of the apparatus of the present invention is not limited to arrangements in which the lower compartment is cooled solely through the tray-like partition I6, this is a simple arrangement which presents a number of advantages and is therefore to be preferred.

In particular accordance with my invention, the partition structure I6 comprises a tray-like member defined, generally, by a bottom wall I8 formed of a pair of spaced sheets I9 and 29, and by upstanding wall portions 2| extending peripherally about the partition. As shown in Figures 4 and 6 a number of strengthening ribs extend downwardly from the sheet and into contact with the upper surface of sheet l9. As above indicated the partition is preferably of polystyrene, and the sheets |9 and 29, as well as the peripheral wall 2|, are bonded in any suitable manner throughout their contiguous portions in order to provide a water tight tray.

As clearly shown in Figures 1, 3, 4 and 6, the

structure is divided by means of a central upstanding wall 22 into a right-hand open-topped receptacle 23 and a left-hand covered meat receptacle 24. The wall 22 is, of course, suitably bonded in a water tight manner to the upper surface of the sheet 20 and to the adjacent portions of the peripheral wall 2| and, accordingly, section 23 serves not only as a receptacle for certain classes of foodstuffs, but also to provide for the accumulation of defrost water without necessitating removal of the contents of the covered meat receptacle 24.

A split cover, or hood 25 cooperates with portions of the peripheral wall 2| and with the upstanding wall 22 to complete the enclosure of receptacle 24., the cover comprising a stationary rear portion 26 and a forward portion 2'! pivotally secured to said rear portion through the agency of hinge means shown at 28 (see particularly Figures 2, 3 and 5). As clearly appears from Figures 2 and 3, the forward hinged portion 2'! may be swung upwardly about the hinge means 28 to provide access to the meat storage space, such access being facilitated by withdrawal of the partition structure, as best appears in Figure 2. To accommodate such withdrawal, in order to obtain access to the structure and to pour out defrost water collected in the open-topped section 23, the lateral walls of the inner liner are provided with suitable track means 29 and 30 (see particularly Figures 1 and 2) cooperable to provide a guideway within which the partition structure is slideably received.

As indicated hereinabove the evaporator which overlies the partition is of substantial size, prefentrance erably b'ei'ng approximately equal width 'and depth: to the corresponding cross sectionahdh mensions" of the cabinet; During normal" use of the refrigerator all of the exterior-surfaces of "the evaporator,- and 4 especially the? bottom wall thereof, become-coated with frost :and: this-coating; must periodic-ally be removed to maintain 'the effectivenes's ofheat transfen During the defrostingoperation water will, of course; drip froni-=the entirelower surface: of time evaporator, audit will: be clear that muchof this-waterwill he -delivered to the: upper surface of -the cover 25 of the meat storage receptacle. In the apparatus of my invention water so-deli vered is conducted to Y the adjacent "open-topped section 23,- and this is accomplished without objectionable spillage intothe lower compartment 15 or leakage into the interior of the meat-receptacle. To accomplish thesepurposes the: cover is so contoured as to shed water to eitherside thereof,- and-also-forwardly and backwardlyof a raisedribsection 3-! (Figures 3 and 5 towhich aresecured-the hinged assemblies 28. The contouring of the forward-hinged portion 21- of the cover appearsto best-advantage in-Figures 3 and 4,- from whichfigures it will be evident that the cover is sloped downwardly toeither side of a higher regionextending centrally from the front ofsaid hingedmember-back to the rib 3l.- The hinged portion 21 also has a slight downward slope =fromthe region of--the"rib 3| tow-ardtheupper forward-edge of the cover which isprovided withan upstandingsdamor -rib= 32 (Figure 5), effective to-conduct the -water laterally. Erom'considerationof the plan-viewof Figure 3,. i-t will now be understoodthat water fallingupon the right-hand side of thehinged portion Zl-flows downwardly andis delivered directly to the open-toppedsection 23. Similarly, water delivered to the left-hand side of the member 21 flows downwardly from-said.- side and into a trough 33, provided along the left-hand edge of the partition and also extending. along the rear edgeof the -meat storage. section'24,

from whence it is delivered into the. adjacent now be apparent from inspection of the drawings, the rear stationary cover portion 26- also has its upper surface sloped to: provide for delivery of water either directly into the adjacent open-topped section 23 or into the described trough 33, through the agency of which it is conducted to said open-topped section 23.

, Referring to Figure 7 it will be seen that the peripheral wall 2! is flanged, as at 35, to provide a shoulder portion 35 adapted to receive a bead member 31 which defines the outeredge of the trough 33. With respect to the stationary cover 'p'ortion 26, the bead member is bonded in any suitable manner to the 1 shoulder portion 36,

whereas those parts of the'trough 33 which are provided upon the forward hinged cover portion 21 are freely received within the confines of fianging 35 and are supported upon adjacent portions of the shoulder 36. In order to conduct fie :structureincluding:

water from that part ofi"the trough which is carried." by the hinged cover portion. 21 (see troughportion 33a) to the continuationof trough 33 provided about the base of fixed cover portion 26, said fixed cover portion has -a forwardly directed trough extension 38 within which is received trough portion 33a, when the cover is in closed position. Since the trough is sloped throughoutits length, there is no appreciable leakage of water-through this joint and into the closed receptacle.

In use; and as'nowwill be appreciatcd, water delivered to the upper surface of the meat storage section 24 either drains directly into the open-topped section 23, or is conducted to said section through the agency of the trough structure-just described. Thus the refrigerator may be defrosted at any time, without concern as to'whether or not the meat receptacle is being used, and the entire partition structure may be withdrawn from the refrigerator when the defrosting operation is complete, at which time the collected water is of course disposed of in any convenient manner.

From the foregoing description it will now be understood that the invention provides a partition which not only serves effectively as a defrosting tray and as a baffle controlling the heat exchange between adjacent compartments of the refrigerator, but which also includes within it confines a covered receptacle within which meats or other foods may be maintained at a temperature intermediate the temperatures of the two main refrigerated compartments. By

this latter feature, the construction presents a particularly important advantage over prior refrigerators utilizing tray-like baffie members. Further, defrosting of the overlying evaporator may be accomplished without the necessity of removing food from the covered receptacle.

While a single embodiment of my invention has been illustrated, and described in this disclosure, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is susceptible of changes and modifications without departing from the essential concept thereof, and that such changes and" 'modifications are contemplated as come within the terms of the appended claims.

I'claim: 1. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a food storage compartment therein, an evaporator disposed within the food storage compartment and adapted to cool the lattenand a baffle structure disposed beneath said evaporator in spaced relation" thereto and having a width and depth substantially equal to the width and depth of said compartment, whereby said baffie structure serves to divide the space within said compartment into upper and lower zones and is effective to control the heat exchange between said upper and lower zones to maintain said zones under predetermined unequal temperature conditions, said bafa bottom wall and upstanding sidewalls-defining a relatively'shallow open-topped tray, whereby said structure is further adapted for storage of foodstuffs and r'nay serve as areceptacle for collection of moisture' droppedz' from said evaporator under certain conditions of'operation; 'a cover extendingacross aportioir only of said opentopped "-bafiie structure and cooperating with said bafflestructure to define an enclosed compartment upstanding from the bottom wall of the baffle structure and over-lying a portion only of said bafile structure beneath said evaporator, said enclosed compartment, by virtue of its disposition intermediate said evaporator and said bottom wall, being normally maintained at a temperature intermediate the temperatures prevailing in said upper and lower zones and at a value slightly above the surface temperature of said evaporator, at least a portion of said cover being movable to afford access to said enclosed compartment and said cover being so shaped and disposed that moisture deposited upon the upwardly presented surfaces thereof drains freely therefrom; and means for receiving the moisture drained from said cover and. for delivering said moisture to a portion of said tray-like baffle structure adjacent to said enclosed compartment.

2. Construction in accordance with claim 1, and further characterized in that said last-mentioned means comprises a trough extending about at least two sides of said cover and being sloped throughout its length toward the point of delivery to said adjacent portion of said bailie structure.

3. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a food storage compartment therein, an evaporator disposed Within the food storage compartment and adapted to cool the latter, said evaporator having a width and depth substantially equal to the width and depth of said compartment, and a bailie structure disposed beneath said evaporator in spaced relation thereto and also having a width and depth substantially equal to the width and depth of said compartment, whereby said baiile structure serves to divide the space within said compartment into upper and lower zones and is effective to control the heat exchange between said upper and lower zones to maintain said zones under predetermined unequal temperature conditions, said bafiie structure including: a bottom wall and upstanding side walls defining a relatively shallow open-topped tray, whereby structure is further adapted for storage of foodstuiis and may serve as a receptacle for collection of moisture dropped from said evaporator under certain conditions of operation; a cover extending across a portion only of said opentopped bafiie structure and cooperating with said baille structure to define an enclosed compartment upstanding from the bottom wall of the baifie structure and overlying a portion only of said balile structure beneath said evaporator, said enclosed compartment, by virtue of its disposition intermediate said evaporator and said bottom well being normally maintained at a temperature intermediate the temperatures prevailing in said upper and lower zones and at a value slightly above the surface temperature of said evaporator; and means including a trough formed as a part of said cover and operable to collect moisture dropped from said evaporator upon said cover and to deliver said moisture to a portion of said tray-like baffle structure adjacent to said enclosed compartment.

4. A tray-like bafile structure adapted for use in refrigerators, said bafiie structure comprising: a bottom wall and upstanding side walls defining a relatively shallow open-topped tray, whereby said structure is adapted for storage of foodstuffs and collection of moisture dropped upon said tray under certain usage conditions; means including a cover spaced above the bottom wall of said bafile structure and cooperable with said up- Number standing side walls to define an enclosed compartment forming a part of said bafiie structure, said compartment overlying a portion only of said baffle structure; and means, including sloped portions of said cover and a cooperable trough for receiving moisture deposited upon said cover and for delivering said moisture to a portion of said tray-like bafile structure adjacent to said enclosed compartment, said trough extending about at J least two sides of the cover and being sloped throughout its length toward the point of delivery to said adjacent portion of said baflle structure.

5. A tray-like baflie structure adapted for use in refrigerators, said bafiie structure comprising: a bottom wall and upstanding side walls defining a relatively shallow open-topped tray, whereby said structure is adapted for storage of foodstuffs and collection of moisture dropped upon said tray under certain usage conditions; means including a cover and defining an enclosed compartment or Zone overlying a portion only of said baffle structure; and means for receiving water delivered to said cover and for delivering said water to a portion of said tray-like bafile structure adjacent to said enclosed compartment, said last-mentioned means comprising sloping of the upwardly presented surface of said cover in such manner that water dropped upon certain areas thereof is delivered directly to the said adjacent portion of said baflie structure and water dropped upon certain other areas thereof flows downwardly from said cover across one side wall of said enclosed compartment, and a trough extending about at least two sides of the cover and underlying the region of downfiow of the water last mentioned whereby to receive said water, said trough being sloped throughout its length toward a point of delivery to the said adjacent portion of said baflle structure.

6. A tray-like baffle structure comprised of material of low thermal conductivity and adapted for horizontal disposition within a refrigerator beneath the evaporator thereof, said baffle structure comprising: an imperforate bottom wall and upstanding side walls defining a relatively shallow, open-topped tray, whereby to provide for storage of foodstufis and collection of moisture dropped upon said tray under certain usage conditions; and means comprising a hood-like cover member cooperating with a portion of said bottom wall and secured to portions of said upstanding side walls to define a meat storage receptacle overlying a portion only of said tray-like baflie structure, said hood-like cover member being provided with a movable door portion proving access to said receptacle and being sloped and configured to promote drainage of moisture therefrom to a portion of said tray-like baffle structure adjacent to said receptacle.

CHARLES R. QUINN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 1,887,125 Green Nov. 8, 1932 2,327,672 Schweller Aug. 24, 1943 2,450,305 Shoemaker Sept, 20, 1948 

